Women's Lacrosse

Equipment Requirements:
Women's Lacrosse Stick, Eye Protection, Mouth guard
Optional: Cleats, Gloves

When buying lacrosse equipment, buying the most expensive is not always the best. Good starter kits are available for $200 and will meet the needs of most players.

Women's Lacrosse Sticks:
Don't buy a $30 stick unless you have to. For $40-45 more, you can get a far better stick with an offset design and pocket. The most popular stick is the deBeer Apex and runs about $80. Sticks are available in an array of colors, with yellow being the most popular due to the yellow ball used in Women's Lacrosse. Women's Lacrosse sticks differ from the men's game in 2 areas. 1. The Women's stick does not have depth to the pocket. 2. The handle is smaller in diameter and shorter.

Handles:
Most sticks come with a standard aluminum handle. Upgraded handles are available in an array of materials, but are rarely needed since checking is limited in the Women's game.

Eyes Protection/Goggles: $20-$65
Required starting in the 2004 season. While women's lacrosse is relatively injury free, there is the chance a player can be injured in the eye or surrounding eye socket area from a ball or inadvertent stick. Thus, US Lacrosse has mandated the use of eye protection to limit these injuries. There are essentially 2 types of eye protection, Wire and Plastic. Wire goggles are the most popular and are essentially a wire cage that protects the eyes and eye socket and are worn as a goggle. Some models come in different sizes which can be important if your daughter has a smaller head. Wire goggles offer the most protection and don't fog up. The downside is many girls find them cumbersome and unattractive. Plastic goggles are essentially safety goggles you wore in shop class. Made out of a durable polycarbonate, they provide coverage of the eye. They considered more attractive than wire goggles (many look just like sunglasses) and are less expensive than wire. The downside is they tend to fog up and don't provide as much protection as wire.

Handles:
Available in 4 sizes, Attack/Middie Length (30"), Defense (60"), Box (32") and goalie (40"). Most complete sticks come with a standard aluminum handle, which is fine for most beginners. Upgraded handles are available in various alloy metals and composites. Upgraded handles are stronger and/or lighter than standard aluminum. We do recommend purchasing an upgraded handle for the experienced defensive player, as the aluminum handles tend to bend and break easily.

Gloves: $20-$50
While not required, some players choose to use gloves to protect their hands against errant checks. The come in various forms with the biggest differentiating factor is warmth. Winter gloves have additional material to keep your hand warm, while summer gloves provide more venting to keep the hand cool.

Cleats: $30-$100
If your daughter already has soccer cleats, stay with those. They'll work fine. With any footwear, fit and comfort are the most important features, not price. If you looking to buy a lacrosse specific cleat, look for something with a speed cleat (cleat directly under the toe).